Catching Up

I haven't posted in a very long time. Time got away from me. Summer came & went. I started a Mary Kay business. I have three busy children. I like to creep on Facebook. I like to nap...I mean, I REALLY like to nap! My blog kept getting pushed down my list of things to do. I've been missing it, though. So, I want to do some catching up.

My last post was in May just after two of my three children accepted Christ as their Savior! That was a wonderful day. School ended and summer began. My children were busy during the summer with camps and sleepovers and vacation Bible school. There was actually a week during the summer that my two older kids were both at camp. I only had the 6 year old at home. It was a strange week.  She made camp Paige in the great room because she didn't want to sleep upstairs alone.

I travelled to Dallas, TX in July for the annual Mary Kay convention. I joined in April, so I'm very new, but my husband encouraged me to go. It was a very fun weekend of learning & celebrating. I went with two adorable young women in my unit and we had a great time. Mary Kay, Inc. certainly knows how to hold a successful convention. I was so impressed when they opened the convention with a prayer. I knew I was in the right place. Mary Kay believes that it should be God First, Family Second & Career Third.

School started up in August and for the first time since I became a mom all of my babies are in school all day long! Let me repeat that....all day long! I was excited about all of this free time I was going to have. Free time I was going to spend working out, building my Mary Kay business, lunching with friends, studying the Bible, volunteering, catching up on projects at home, etc.!  I quickly learned that I missed my babies way more than I thought I would. I would walk around the grocery store wondering how my oldest daughter could possibly be in high school already and how my youngest was in first grade. Where had the time gone?

It is now late October, one of my favorite times of the year. I absolutely love fall. Earlier this month we finally took our family to Disney World in Florida. This is a trip I've been wanting to take since my oldest daughter, Cayla, was born. We either didn't have the money, had a new baby or both. It truly was a magical place. It was one of those trips that couldn't have been any better. I was lucky enough to be able to spend it with my brother and his family, too. I hope to be able to go back again someday, but I know that this particular trip was special.

Ok, so that brings me to today. I am still trying to figure out what I want my days to look like, even though my kids have been in school for a couple of months. I know some of you can relate. I heard a great quote lately that really spoke to me..."if I don't tell time where to go, I'll always wonder where it went". Isn't that so true?

Joyfully,
Lori

The Best Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

I am a very happy mom as I write this post because I received the BEST Mother's Day gift a little early this year. It came in the form of an answered prayer.

Our church had the privilege of hosting a visit by The Power Team! http://www.thepowerteam.com/   If you haven't seen this group of men & women, I highly recommend it. It was an amazing event that moved the hearts of so many. My family was able to go to see them the last night they were here. It was a rainy, miserable Sunday evening & I wanted so much just to stay home in my sweats & t-shirt. It just wasn't a night to go out.

My son, Chase, had been the night before with his friend's family. I was surprised when he came home & said that he had "accepted God" & gone up at the end of the event! You can imagine the thoughts racing through this mama's head as he said this. What? No! I wasn't there. I missed it. Sadness overwhelmed me, but the Holy Spirit quickly reminded me that my son had "accepted Christ"! What was I sad about? This was a time for celebration. Still, my heart felt broken to have missed it.

Fast forward to the next night. The rain falling down. I was taking all three of my kids and my two oldest brought friends. My sister-in-law and niece also went. The Power Team didn't disappoint. It was a spectacle of strength & testimony.

At the end of the evening, they asked for heads to bow & eyes to shut. Then, they asked for hands to raise if anyone wanted to accept Christ as their Lord & Savior! I peaked down the row at my precious children & saw hands in the air! Of course, I knew Chase's would go up because he had already told me that he would "go up" again so that I could see it. The bigger surprise came when I saw my 13 year old daughter's hand high in the air & her precious head bowed!

I had been praying for my children's salvation the entire week before this. I told God that I wanted nothing more than to be in Heaven with my family.

Then, they called anyone who had raised their hand to come forward in the church. There are no words to describe what I felt when my daughter, her friend, my son, his friend, my niece & her friend rose up & went to the front of that church with smiles on their faces! Their names are now written in the Lamb's Book of Life! Praise God!

My son looked at me later & told me had really accepted Christ tonight, not the night before when I wasn't there. Isn't he sweet? I just hugged him, knowing that I hadn't missed a thing.

My daughter, Cayla, told me on the ride home that it was the message she'd been waiting to hear & it had brought tears to her eyes!!  Was this my 13 year old saying this? Yes & God had answered my prayers in a very BIG way!

I had received the greatest Mother's Day gift ever!

Joyfully,
Lori

This and That...

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Why does our time get filled up with so much "stuff"? I am so looking forward to spring break next week. We all need a break, moms and kids, don't we?

So, Easter has come and gone. I can't believe it. We had nice visits with family and wonderful worship services at church during this Easter season. Of course, there was lots of yummy chocolate bunnies and Robin's Eggs. I seriously have a problem with the little speckled malted-milk eggs. I think I ate at least 10 bags and several of the little cartons they come in. So sad!

I also finished up my women's spring Bible study. It was absolutely wonderful. If you haven't done "Experiencing God" by Henry and Richard Blackaby, I highly recommend you do. So many people get hung up today on the word "religion". Jesus didn't die on the cross so we could have religion. He died so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. There is a big difference between religion and relationship. This study is all about developing that loving relationship with our Savior.

My baby also turned six years old recently. I honestly cannot believe it. I feel like she was just a tiny infant with colic, and I do mean COLIC! This child screamed nonstop for three months straight! It is something I will never forget. Nothing I would do could soothe her. At that three-month mark, she turned into a happy, smiling, bundle of pure joy. And, now she's six and in kindergarten.

Joyfully,
Lori

Be Still and Know

I have a white plate on a stand in my kitchen. I write scripture verses there for me and my family to see. The verse I have written there right now is Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God...". I have been thinking of this verse quite a bit lately. As a busy mom of three, there is not much "stillness" in my home. When the kids are all trying to talk to me at once and the phone is ringing and someone is knocking on the door, I can quickly become overwhelmed. At those times, I can turn to my white plate and remind myself of Him.

There are times in our lives when we almost feel as if we can't breathe because the "stuff" we're dealing with is suffocating. It may be the business of a household or something more. I have a dear friend that is dealing with the emotions that come when a loved-one is battling cancer. I know others dealing with financial troubles and job loss. A couple ladies in my Bible-study group have lost parents. Another friend has a child with a severe brain injury. How awesome for each of us to know that in those times when we feel overwhelmed, we have a God who is always there no matter what we're going through, and we're all going to go through something in this life.

If you're reading this, take a moment for yourself right now to just be still and know. Know that you have a God who loves you. Find Him in that moment of stillness.